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Antinatalism or anti-natalism is a family of philosophical views that are critical of reproduction — they consider coming into existence as bad or deem procreation as immoral. Antinatalists thus argue that humans should abstain from having children. Antinatalist views are not necessarily limited only to humans, but may encompass all sentient creatures, claiming that coming into existence is a harm for sentient beings in general.: 2–3, 163  There are various reasons why antinatalists believe reproduction is problematic. The most common arguments for antinatalism include: Life entails inevitable suffering. Death is inevitable. Humans are born without their consent—no one chooses whether or not they come into existence. Although some people may turn out to be happy, this is not guaranteed, so to procreate is to gamble with another person's suffering. There is an axiological asymmetry between good and bad things in life, such that coming into existence is always a harm. Etymology The term antinatalism (in opposition to the term natalism, pronatalism or pro-natalism) was used probably for the first time by Théophile de Giraud in his book L'art de guillotiner les procréateurs: Manifeste anti-nataliste (2006).: 301  Masahiro Morioka defines antinatalism as "the thought that all human beings or all sentient beings should not be born.": 2  In scholarly and literary writings, various ethical arguments have been put forth in defense of antinatalism, probably the most prominent of which is the asymmetry argument, put forward by South African philosopher David Benatar. Robbert Zandbergen makes a distinction between so-called reactionary (or activist) antinatalism and its more philosophical, originary counterpart. While the former seeks to limit human reproduction locally and/or temporarily, the latter seeks to end it conclusively. History Antinatalist sentiments have existed for thousands of years. Some of the earliest surviving formulations of the idea that it would be better not to have been born can be found in ancient Greece. One example is from Sophocles's Oedipus at Colonus, written shortly before Sophocles's death in 406 BC: Not to be born is, beyond all estimation, best; but when a man has seen the light of day, this is next best by far, that with utmost speed he should go back from where he came. For when he has seen youth go by, with its easy merry-making, what hard affliction is foreign to him, what suffering does he not know? Envy, factions, strife, battles, and murders. Last of all falls to his lot old age, blamed, weak, unsociable, friendless, wherein dwells every misery among miseries From Ecclesiastes 4:2–3:, 450–180 BC: And I thought the dead, who have already died, more fortunate than the living, who are still alive; but better than both is the one who has not yet been, and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. From Seneca's De Consolatione ad Marciam, written around 40 AD: Nothing is so deceptive, nothing is so treacherous as human life; by Hercules, were it not given to men before they could form an opinion, no one would take it. Not to be born, therefore, is the happiest lot of all From Giacomo Leopardi, Operette Morali, Remarkable sayings of Philip Ottonieri, 1827: Being asked for what purpose he thought men were born, he laughingly replied: To realize how much better it were not to be born. From Gustave Flaubert, The Letters of Gustave Flaubert 1830–1857, 1846: The idea of bringing someone into the world fills me with horror. I would curse myself if I were a father. A son of mine! Oh no, no, no! May my entire flesh perish and may I transmit to no one the aggravations and the disgrace of existence From Schopenhauer's Parerga and Paralipomena, 1851: If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence?From Heinrich Heine, Morphine, 1856: Sleep is good, death is better; but of course, the best thing would to have never been born at all. Arguments In religion Buddhism The teaching of the Buddha, among other Four Noble Truths and the beginning of Mahāvagga, is interpreted by Hari Singh Gour as follows: Buddha states his propositions in the pedantic style of his age. He throws them into a form of sorites; but, as such, it is logically faulty and all he wishes to convey is this: Oblivious of the suffering to which life is subject, man begets children, and is thus the cause of old age and death. If he would only realize what suffering he would add to by his act, he would desist from the procreation of children; and so stop the operation of old age and death. The issue of Buddhist antinatalism is also raised by Amy Paris Langenberg, she writes among other things: In the medieval Tantric traditions of India and Tibet documented by David Gray and Janet Gyatso, insertive but non-ejaculative sex is theorized as a fast path to liberating realizations, one deemed superior to celibacy for qualified practitioners (Gray 2007; Gyatso 1998). These developments also support the idea that the sex problematic in ancient, classical, and medieval Buddhism had at least as much to do with female fertility and the production of children as with the dangers of errant desire. Buddhism was understood as antinatalist by Jack Kerouac. Masahiro Morioka argues that ancient Buddhism was both antinatalist and anti-antinatalist: According to ancient Buddhism, all births are births into the world of suffering; hence, coming into existence must be evaluated negatively. If we focus on this aspect, we can say that ancient Buddhism is antinatalist. However, we can also interpret ancient Buddhism as saying that being born into this human world is affirmed because there is a possibility of reaching nirvana here. Therefore, if we pay attention to this aspect, we cannot instantaneously say that it is antinatalist. Christianity and Gnosticism The Marcionites, led by the theologian Marcion of Sinope, believed that the visible world is an evil creation of a crude, cruel, jealous, angry demiurge, Yahweh. According to this teaching, people should oppose him, abandon his world, not create people, and trust in the good God of mercy, foreign and distant.: 144–145 : 54–56  The Encratites observed that birth leads to death. In order to conquer death, people should desist from procreation: "not produce fresh fodder for death". The Manichaeans,: 228, 231 : 56–57  the Bogomils,: 13  and the Cathars: 89–90 : 57–60  believed that procreation sentences the soul to imprisonment in evil matter. They saw procreation as an instrument of an evil god, demiurge, or of Satan that imprisons the divine element in the matter and thus causes the divine element to suffer. Shakers believe that sex is the root of all sin and that procreation is a sign of the fallen state of humanity. Augustine of Hippo wrote: But I am aware of so.... Discover the Magnus Vinding popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Magnus Vinding books.